Bismarck

History

For thousands of years, various indigenous peoples inhabited present-day central North Dakota. The historic Mandan Native American tribe occupied the area long before Europeans arrived. The Hidatsa name for Bismarck is mirahacii arumaaguash ("Place of the tall willows"); the Arikara name is ituhtaáwe [itUhtaáwe]. In 1872, European Americans founded a settlement at what was then called Missouri Crossing, so named because the Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed the river there on their exploration of the land acquired by the Louisiana Purchase in 1804–06. It had been an area of Mandan settlement. Later, the new town was called Edwinton, after Edwin Ferry Johnson, engineer-in-chief for the Northern Pacific Railway. Its construction of railroads in the territory attracted workers and settlers. In 1873, the Northern Pacific Railway renamed the city Bismarck in honor of German chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Railroad officials hoped to attract German settlers to the area and German investment in the railroad. It is the only U.S. state capital named for a foreign statesman. The discovery of gold in the nearby Black Hills of South Dakota the following year was a great impetus for growth. Thousands of miners came to the area, encroaching on what the Lakota considered sacred territory, leading to heightened tensions with Native Americans. Bismarck became a freight-shipping center on the "Custer Route" from the Black Hills. In 1883, Bismarck was designated as the capital of the Dakota Territory in place of Yankton, South Dakota, and in 1889, as the state capital of the new state of North Dakota.

Geography

Bismarck is located at (46.8142737, -100.7694052). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which is land and (1.36%) is water. The city has developed around downtown Bismarck, the center of historic development. It is distinctive because the city's major shopping center, Kirkwood Mall, is in the city center rather than in the suburbs. Several other major retail stores are near Kirkwood Mall, which was developed near the Bismarck Event Center. The two Bismarck hospitals, CHI St. Alexius Medical Center and Sanford Health (previously Medcenter One Health Systems), are downtown. The streets are lined with small stores and restaurants. Much recent commercial and residential growth has occurred in the city's northern section, largely because of expanding retail centers. Among the shopping centers in northern Bismarck are Gateway Fashion Mall, Northbrook Mall, Arrowhead Plaza, and the Pinehurst Square "power center" mall. The North Dakota State Capitol complex is just north of downtown Bismarck. The 19-story Art Deco capitol is the tallest building in the state, at a height of . Completed during the Great Depression in 1934, it replaced the original capitol building that burned to the ground in 1930. The capitol grounds encompass the North Dakota Heritage Center, the North Dakota State Library, the North Dakota Governor's Residence, the State Office Building, and the Liberty Memorial Building. The North Dakota State Penitentiary is in eastern Bismarck. The Cathedral District, named after the Art Deco Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, is a historic neighborhood near downtown Bismarck. Some homes in this neighborhood date to the 1880s, although many were built in the first decades of the 20th century. At times, the city has proposed…

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• CENTURY HIGH SCHOOL
  High · Bismarck · 1,427 students · 16.8:1 ratio
• LEGACY HIGH SCHOOL
  High · Bismarck · 1,418 students · 17.3:1 ratio
• BISMARCK HIGH SCHOOL
  High · Bismarck · 1,333 students · 17.1:1 ratio
• HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · Bismarck · 1,044 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• SIMLE MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · Bismarck · 1,040 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• WACHTER MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · Bismarck · 1,000 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• LINCOLN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · Lincoln · 650 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• VICTOR SOLHEIM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · Bismarck · 560 students · 14.7:1 ratio